Students rocket toward STEM careers at community hub

Several organizations joined forces Saturday to provide local students with an afternoon of space-themed activities designed to inspire interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. 

About 100 people attended the third annual Lealman STEM Day event, dubbed Space 4 All. Area students in grades 5 through 8 met an astrophysicist and tested model rockets and lunar landers. 

Most importantly, STEM Day allowed area youth to explore high-paying, in-demand careers. The Lealman Exchange hosted the free event, in an underserved area just outside St. Petersburg city limits. 

“The keynote speaker has dedicated her professional life to promoting STEM careers for women,” said Becca McCoy, Lealman navigator. “I think it’s just important for kids to see themselves in those potential careers.”

Julia Clark, assistant director and lead instructor at Space Trek, was the speaker. The education-focused organization at the Kennedy Space Center welcomes students worldwide to its STEM and space-based camps. 

Clark helped bring some of those camp activities to Lealman, an unincorporated community with over 20,000 residents. The Lealman Exchange represents a public-private partnership between Pinellas County and the St. Petersburg Foundation. 

Julia Clark (right), assistant director and lead instructor at Space Trek, prepares a water-powered rocket for launch.

County documents call the Lealman Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) “disadvantaged” due to the high percentage of low-income households with limited transportation access. Cape Canaveral, a 2.5-hour trek across the state, is out of reach for many Space 4 All attendees. 

A former astronaut oversees Space Trek’s governing board. Clark, an astronomy, astrophysics and applied mathematics expert, has authored two publications highlighting the possible detection of binary star formation using a unique method. 

“It’s more than just being an astronaut,” McCoy said of space-based careers. “There’s a lot of folks on the ground that make it happen – or just the people who point their telescopes up at the stars to teach us things that improve life here on Earth.” 

Clark helped students launch their rockets in the community center’s parking lot using water pressure. McCoy said that was a “very satisfying” event highlight. 

Students test their lunar landers at the free event.

Participants also fashioned lunar landers out of disposable cups and other crafting materials. The goal was to build something that would safely hold a payload of ping pong balls after dropping it from a step stool. “There was a lot of creativity on display, which was great,” McCoy said. 

“For any child who doesn’t have the opportunity on a daily basis to see themselves in that profession, these kinds of events are meant to enrich them to the possibilities. And show all of the diverse ways you can be involved in those sectors.”

An activity involving Stomp Rockets – launched by stepping on an apparatus to create compressed air – required math skills. Event organizers placed targets throughout the gym, and misses required kids to alter their trajectories and force. The toys can fly up to 400 feet. 

NASA funded the event through its Next Generation STEM project. The space agency awarded $3.7 million to 17 nationwide institutions to engage students from underserved communities through hands-on educational opportunities.

Torry Johnson, deputy associate administrator of STEM Engagement Programs at NASA, called the initiative a “real catalyst for partnerships” that connect communities with the agency’s missions. “These organizations bring the excitement of STEM and spaceflight to students where they are, helping us inspire the Artemis generation of future explorers and innovators,” he said in a prepared statement. 

The Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education initiative, Tampa Bay STEM Network and Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC) partnered to host the local event.

McCoy explained that libraries typically host the event, and the exchange serves as a PPLC satellite office. The sprawling facility provided the space needed to enhance programming and offer separate areas for various activities. 

 “Unlike a library, we were able to shoot off water rockets in a parking lot because we still had room for 50 cars on the other side of the building,” McCoy added. “It really expanded the possibilities.”

St. Pete Catalyst publisher Joe Hamilton is a board member of the St Petersburg Foundation, which operates the Lealman Exchange.

The Lealman Exchange, a public-private partnership between Pinellas County and St. Petersburg Foundation, offers myriad resources for a historically underserved community.